We typically think of vacation as a time to tune out and put work on hold or at least try to.
But is it possible that vacation actually advances your career and makes you more productive?
Here in Europe it’s normal to take a couple of weeks, maybe even a month, of holiday during the summer.
Shops close their doors and some factories even stop production.
It’s a tradition that dates back more than a century when it was more efficient for
factory-line workers to all go on holiday at the same time instead of at separate times throughout the year.
Factories used the summer recess to do maintenance on machines and give workers a much-needed break.
Fast forward a couple of decades and Europeans are still taking advantage of long holidays.
The European Union entitles workers to at least four weeks of vacation time per year.
That’s a lot more than most countries in the world.
Some European countries like France, the UK or Norway even mandate extra paid holidays on top of the 20 days.
In fact, the U.S. is one of the only countries that doesn’t have mandated vacation time.
You might think that all this time off means European workers are less productive than Americans.
But it turns out nine of the top 10 most productive OECD countries
measured by GDP per hour worked are in Europe.
The United States ranks sixth.
And a recent report found U.S. workers who took 11 or more vacation days
were more likely to get a raise or a bonus - compared to workers who took 10 or fewer.
More productive and more likely to get a raise?
I’ll take another one of these, please.
Studies show there can also be health benefits like lower stress,
better mental health and even less likelihood of a heart attack.
Time away from the office can also spark creativity.
Starbucks, Instagram and Hamilton the Musical were all ideas inspired on vacation.
But it’s not all paradise.
A lot of people have a hard time disconnecting when they’re supposed to be off.
And the stress of getting work done before leaving can just be too much to handle for some people.
Almost half of workers in one survey said they didn’t go on vacation
because they don’t want to come back to a mountain of work.
In fact more than half of Americans leave vacation time on the table.
Cost is also a big factor holding people back from taking time off.
But studies show that even taking a day or two away from the office can have a big impact on productivity.
So maybe it’s time to sit back and relax.
And who knows?
It could help you get that promotion you’ve been waiting for.
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